What I Learned About Making Movies / My Internet Show is Slipping

You know that show Home Movies where Brendon, Melissa, and Jason would make hundreds of home movies just for the hell of it? And while making those movies they thought it was pure genius? There was an episode towards the end of the entire show where those three realize (or was it just Brendon and Melissa, IDK) that their home movies weren't as good as they thought they were? The reason why I'm using the show Home Movies as an example is because around the age of 15 and 16 I made a sketch comedy show with two of my friends Chris and Anthony. Chris, Anthony, and I made a short film, around the length of 20 minutes, called Charles Broke Wind. The short film was about my fictionalized self "Charles Villa" (not my real name) would take upon an out-of-the-blue mission to not take a crap for 30 days- much like "that skinny fatso in Super Size Me".

We shot the movie in 2 weeks- most of it in my house. I had an outline- us going outdoors and camp, or interviewing people at the mall, or anywhere but inside my house. Maybe I just feel so safe with my camera inside my house that makes most of my videos, to me, repetitive, which I guess is a tough thing to say for a director. I wanted to open the film professionally talking about toilets- but instead I went with an opening scene of two dudes beating up a toilet (ha ha toilet humor). You think on the spot I would mind- but being 15 years old all you want to do is have fun with your friends. I'd say about nine months after that video was up on YouTube I decided to re-watch it again and I cringed at every second. I don't know why I cringe. Usually you cringe when you watch a video on Break.com but not on your own videos. Sam Raimi cringed in his own movie, Drag Me To Hell, BUT that's a masterpiece. It's awkward to talk with your friends knowing that you had them in a movie of your own that you didn't like- but it's great to have friends who don't mind if the movie they were in was good or bad- which made forget the ordeal all together.

I know the first two paragraphs have nothing to do with the blog title- but it's a build-up. My two friends Chris and Anthony, and I wanted to do a show together after making the short film. Immediately I suggested a sketch comedy show which they agreed- but I was afraid. I was afraid after I said that that our show would be ousted as other kids' videos. You know those types of videos kids make where they run around with a camera in their head, with no script and no organization. I described to my two friends that I wanted to do the show format along the lines of Chappelle's Show or Mr. Show combined.

The format of THE FRONT ROW is that there would be a skit before the show intro or flat out the show intro, it would start out with a plot. The plot would be indicated by a clapboard- and the plot would be divided into segments spread throughout the episode. In between these plot segments would be the skits themselves. Sometimes the skits would also be divided into segments because of how long they are. Because of YouTube's "nothing longer than 10 minutes" policy, I didn't want to make each part of an episode feel like they were broken off because of this policy. I thought "Hey why not have each part LOOK like they're a different episode". So each part would have its own show intro and end credits. Originally we wanted to do a show that did all of this- PLUS having pranks of us dressed up as characters from movies (like I would be strolling around as WALL-E). Obviously we couldn't pull off the pranks because all of our parents are protective of us and because we only have one camera.

By the blog title, you must be asking (that is if anyone's going to read this) "Why is the show slipping?". Well it's that there's no recognition. Then again, anybody not involved in Hollywood should expect that. Like anyone who does this, you put a lot of effort and hard work into a production and you put it out there. It's out there and you're hoping it's noticed. My most viewed video has 715 views- and this was a year and a half ago. I'm not going to bitch wanting views but it's just not the views. I cringed at this show as well. Not to repeat myself again, but there's things a director notices that hits him personally. What I noticed the most if that I did the same thing I did last time with my short film. I had all these things I wanted to do for my production but I couldn't. Most of the episodes take place in my own home (and you can definitely tell which parts do take place there). I might do more episodes of THE FRONT ROW this summer but I hope that I can do better. What director wouldn't want to do better? Okay prime example are the directors for Date Movie and Epic Movie. I don't expect you guys to roll-on-floor-laughing but these vids posted here hope you can appreciate all the effort I put it to these "things".

So after this LONG intro, here's the first two episodes of THE FRONT ROW.

Episode One

Part One

Part Two

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Episode Two

Part One

Part Two

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youtube.com/ANormalmanProduction
youtube.com/thefrontrow1

Thanks Spill.com!